MILWAUKEE -- The suspect accused of killing a mother coming home from church in a hit-and-run crash turned himself in Thursday, police say.
Juan C. Mata Chavez, 27, had been charged in the case while officers tried to locate him.
Mata Chavez is accused of speeding down W. Lincoln Ave. last Sunday when he lost control and hit Monica Hernandez, 44, who was heading home from church.
The woman's son, a 13-year-old, suffered non-life threatening injuries.
"She loved him so much," said a niece of Hernandez, who did not want to give her name. "He was her only child. She had so many plans for their lives. We are still in shock. We can't believe she is no longer with us."
People eating lunch at La Canoa Restaurant on West Lincoln saw the crash, and ran out to help. They even found Monica's phone in the wreckage and began calling family.
"She kept asking about her son," said Nattalie Lopez, who works at La Canoa. "Her main concern was that he was okay. We told her he was fine and tried to comfort her. She was in so much pain."
